When we think about Thanksgiving in the K–12 context, it’s hard not to picture turkey hats, gratitude worksheets, and children’s books about the story of Thanksgiving. For the civic learning field, this season calls us to think more deeply and build young people’s capacity to develop skills to bridge divides. To that end, in this Thanksgiving iteration of our newsletter, we invite you to:
- Be public in your gratitude for teachers and schools. Appreciation is as core to Thanksgiving as turkey and stuffing. We invite you and your organization to use these templates to thank a few specific civic teachers and schools you work with. Appreciation is about helping people feel seen, and there is no better time to elevate these essential professionals and institutions than now.
- Lean into the full range of lessons. In celebrating Thanksgiving, we must note that in many communities— particularly Native American communities—this can be challenging. We may be motivated to lean away from the complexities of the holiday season, but as iCivics Chief Education Officer Emma Humphries encouraged us recently, we can teach hard things—and we should. When we do, we give our young people more tools to navigate tough conversations. Get started with some lessons from our coalition partner, C-SPAN.
- Teach to bridge divides. During a time of “lamentable civil strife,” President Lincoln’s 1863 Thanksgiving Proclamation recognized many bounties and looked to “peace, harmony, tranquility, and Union.” This is the great challenge of the Thanksgiving table: holding multiple, sometimes competing, ideas in tension and getting family and friends of divergent views and experiences to meaningfully listen and navigate differences. Check out these partner resources for bridging activities.
So happy Thanksgiving! Thank you for your work, enjoy time with your friends and family, and let’s live our time moving forward with gratitude and boldness.
